Murder
by Isabella120
Summary: I didn't ask for this, I didn't want to be a murder. You know it took me 12 years of my life to realize I wasn't my father and 17 of my life to realize I didn't want to be..." Inspired by the Half-Blood Prince. Ignores D.H. Epilouge. D.M. H.G. R& R!


Murderer

Chapter one New Teachers or A D.A.D.A. Lesson

The September wind blew fiercely against the black night sky. The moon shone an unethereal glow scintillating on the lake in the distance. Hermione Granger stood frozen in surprise at the edge of the staircase of the Astronomy tower. The moon's rays bounced off his albino hair, his body had always been slender but it was obvious he had lost weight. He was the last person she would have expected to find here of all places.

"Yes, I came back, okay," he drawled bored.

Her eyes widened and she tried to quietly disappear back downstairs.

"I know you're there, Granger," he said softly before actually turning to her.

She froze, terrified to be alone with him after everything he did. She didn't know what the heck Headmistress McGonagall had been thinking letting him back here at Hogwarts to let him complete his last year. Granted he had been pardoned along with his mother in assisting saving Harry's life and being "misled", yet as lenient as she was she could not help but feel scared to be in his presence after knowing what he had done and was capable of doing.

"How…" she spoke gathering her courage.

"Your footsteps, Granger," he replied without having to hear the rest of her question.

"Oh," she said softly, and turned to go back downstairs.

"You came here for a reason, Granger, if you haven't interrogated me further, so that is not why you are here, but why are you here?" he spoke, pure curiosity in his voice.

She turned around; she didn't think he was capable of seeming human just normally curious, "to think," She offered, "I come here to think," and with that she left.

The clock chimed and her footsteps hurried. It was only the first night here she didn't need to get caught out after hours. That really wouldn't look too good on her record especially as newly appointed Head Girl. Ron would be so worried about her. With that thought in mind she hurried along the familiar restored corridors even faster. She wasn't really looking where she was going and it wasn't until it was too late and collided was when she saw the headmistress.

"I am so sorry," she apologized.

"Miss Granger, I was just looking for you, have you happened to see Mister Malfoy?" she inquired.

"Actually I did, he was…" Hermione said guiltily.

"Right here," said a familiar voice behind her.

She spun around and sure enough he was leaning against the wall lazily the way he used to still looking important even though he seemed to be in a slouching position.

"Ah, good, follow me please," she said softly.

Confused Hermione followed after her, "Professor…" she began.

"In good time, Miss Granger," McGonagall returned.

They walked in silence till they filed past her into the office. "Sit," she instructed gesturing for them to do so. Hermione seated herself. It wasn't until she was seated in the nearest armchair that Malfoy lowered himself into the other. It was probably a pureblood tradition she thought.

"You're probably wondering why you two are here. I'm not going to beat around the bush, there's been an attack," McGonagall began.

"An attack?" inquired Malfoy curiously.

"By who?" Hermione queried.

"Deatheaters, Kinsley has informed me that there has been a jailbreak from Azkaban, there are several on the loose, the ministry suspects they're somewhere in Europe. They attacked in France," McGonagall answered.

Hermione couldn't help watch Malfoy's reaction to the statement, his jaw hardened and his grey eyes grew stormy unreadable and void of any emotion.

"Is my father…" he began his voice hard.

"I am afraid so, Mister Malfoy," McGonagall said softly.

"Brilliant," he muttered his tone so contrary to his words. "Stop looking at me like that," Malfoy said coolly turning to Hermione.

"Like what?" she said her voice not as confident as usual.

"I'm not going to let them in, the cabinet is destroyed and I have no intention of wasting another year bloody fixing it up," he said icily.

"Anyway," McGonagall cut in before Hermione could speak, "the reason I'm telling you ahead of everyone else is because I need you to patrol extra hours starting tomorrow night. I want you to look out for anything suspicious and keep fellow students from doing anything stupid for their own good," she continued looking straight at Hermione as she said the last sentence, "lastly, I'm informing you of what is going on so you will understand why your mother is arriving tomorrow."

"My mother," Malfoy inquired with an arch of his eyebrow.

"She has requested sanctuary, here at Hogwarts of which I've granted," McGonagall replied. She handed them both a thick dragon hide binder. "Here are your schedules and all the information you'll need. You'll be on detention duty, patrolling, planning Hogsmead trips, as well as the Halloween and Yule Ball by popular demand."

"What is mother's cover up?" Malfoy inquired pensively.

"Cover up?" Hermione inquired feeling a little more at ease talking to the man who nearly killed the Headmaster nearly two years ago.

"Mother would never come here and make it look like she was here out of fear, a Malfoy would never do that, they'd have to have some excuse of why they're residing there for their safety," He returned as if it were obvious.

"She's going to be teaching the mandatory new class, the art of Wizarding Dancing or A.W.D. She'll be teaching the history of the wizarding dances as well as instructing the students to dance them. I personally find it quite wonderful, seeing as I don't have the time to do such things." McGonagall returned.

"Lovely, this should be entertaining," he replied nonchalantly.

"Professor, is this information we've just received confidential or are the student's going to be aware of the situation?" Hermione inquired.

"Good question, I believe the jest of what we've covered will be the front page of the Prophet by tomorrow the earliest, but Miss Granger I will ask that you keep Mrs. Malfoy's reputation intact and refer to her alibi rather then the truth. I would like you to give her and Draco a clean slate starting now," she answered her, and turned to Malfoy, "that goes for you too, Mr. Malfoy, I shall have no of any purebloods are better than anyone else nonsense," she continued, "Are we clear?" she finished looking between the two of them.

"Yes, Headmistress," they chorused without enthusiasm.

"Good, well off to bed with you," McGonagall replied, figuring that was the best she was going to get. They both got up and headed to the door.

"Oh right, I forgot, Head's get their own rooms, you just go to your respective common rooms and go to the portrait of your respective founder. The password of each is of you own choosing. Goodnight." McGonagall finished with a curt nod.

Hermione nodded back and slipped through the door Malfoy held open. With a nod to each other they parted their respective ways.

"Where the heck were you, 'mione, we were bloody worried about you," Ron accosted her as she walked into the common room.

"Language Ronald," she reminded.

"Sorry," he said quickly impatient for her answer.

"I was with McGonagall," she replied sitting next to Harry who was sitting with Ginny on the couch in front of the fire.

"What did she want?" Harry asked brushing a strand of Ginny's hair from her face, totally oblivious of Ron's expression as he did so.

"Get over it Ron," Hermione whispered to Ron as he sat beside her horrified, "Head's business, nothing really interesting."

"She's my sister," Ron whispered back.

"So," she whispered shrugging.

"Who is the Head Boy, anyway?" Ginny asked like Harry totally oblivious about Ron's breakdown.

"Malfoy," Hermione replied quickly.

"Ha-ha-ha, really Hermione that's a good one," Harry laughed, "Now seriously who is the Head Boy?"

"Draco, Draco Malfoy," she said suddenly very interested in what the page of her new dragon hide binder had to say.

"You're not kidding are you," Ron said with the sudden realization dawning over him.

"Of course I am not kidding why would I joke about Malfoy being Head, ludicrous as it is, I am perfectly serious." She said shutting the binder quickly turning her head towards him.

"I'm going to turn in; we're getting company tomorrow, on top of that I've got patrolling for four hours tomorrow with the devil himself," Hermione said standing up.

"Company?" Ginny asked.

"You're patrolling with…with…Him, Hermione you can't he nearly killed…" Ron sputtered.

"Clearly we're in need of another class, because now The Art of Wizarding Dances is now mandatory for all students, and yes, Ronald, please don't remind me," she announced, and crossed the room over to the portrait of Godric Gryffindor.

"How I am I going to live with a Murderer?" she muttered to herself.

"Odd password but okay," he said swinging open to reveal a staircase.

"But, But…" she said stepping forward, "That's not the password," she protested as the door swung shut leaving her standing on the staircase in darkness. "Lumos," she muttered dejectedly and an orb of light shot from her wand. She walked up in silence, and opened the door at the top. There were two doors one led to another flight of stairs which she assumed was her bedroom. The other was a small kitchen and with a couch in front of a roaring fire. Tired she walked up the second flight of stairs into the room that mirrored the regular rooms with just a queen bed instead of a twin. She fell into the bed exhausted and fell fast asleep.

The next morning she stopped in kitchen to make some coffee. She sat at the café style high table and chairs and flipped through the Dragon hide binder. She supposed she ought to settle detention duty with Malfoy, and set the date for the Hogsmead trip soon so that McGonagall would have enough notice in which to approve of it. Distracted she poured herself a cup of coffee in a pale green mug from the shelf above her head. She nearly dropped the mug as she heard a voice from behind her.

"Tut-tut, I knew there was bound to be a flaw, and now, Granger, I've found it," Malfoy said taking the coffee pot from her hands and pouring himself a mug.

"And what might that be," she inquired finding her voice.

He looked at her as if to ask: isn't-it-obvious, "sharing a kitchen, bathroom, and common room with you."

She frowned putting her cup to her lips and lowering it, "I'm glad to have made your day Malfoy as much as you've made mine, I'll take detention duty tonight you get tomorrow and so on and so forth, agreed?"

"No," he said lowering his mug.

"And why not?" she inquired.

"Because you said it," he replied, "I'll take tonight and you'll take tomorrow, and please inform McGonagall we've set the Hogsmead date for the second Saturday in September and the third in October."

She glared at him, putting her mug down, and shouldered her book bag, "fine," she muttered and disappeared through the door tucking the binder under her arm.

She sat down beside Harry and Ron still moody from her encounter with Malfoy.

"You said we had company today, who?" Ginny inquired pensively, as Hermione sat down neatly scrawling a quick note to McGonagall.

"Just wait," Hermione replied, with a flick of her wand folding the parchment and sending it whizzing to the Headmistress.

McGonagall glanced at the note and the nodded from the Head table, as Ginny persisted.

"Can I have your attention," McGonagall said rising to her feet. The buzz of the great hall quieted. "It is my pleasure to announce we have added a mandatory class: The Art of Wizarding Dances, and with a new class we need a new teacher, it is my pleasure to introduce to you now, Mrs. Malfoy," with the final words the hall went up in an uproar of muttering and whispering as the lady in emerald robes walked in her matching heels clicking against the floor as she proceeded up to the head table. Her perfect blond locks were half hidden by a matching hat set off to the side. She looked the perfect aristocrat as she walked up to the table and took a seat.

McGonagall started clapping signaling for the staff to start clapping as well. Catching on Hermione began clapping nudging Harry and Ron to follow. Soon the hall was filled with a polite applause. It was clear no one wanted to see her, and from the way she eyed them she didn't want to see them.

Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin table curiously of how Malfoy was taking the news. He sat there still void of any emotion at all not even looking at his mother or in any one particular direction at all. She raised an eyebrow as Malfoy rose from his seat as McGonagall sat down making his way past the head table. Hermione may have imagined it but she could have sworn she heard Mrs. Malfoy whisper Draco. He gave her a curt nod and robes blaring out behind him exited the hall.

"Whoa, Hermione, did you see that?" Ron said his mouth for once not filled with food.

"I did," she said softly.

~*~

Hermione unscrewed the cap of her ink bottle carefully and set the cover to the side picking up her favorite quill. Her fellow classmates were in an uproar, as they waited in the familiar D.A.D.A. classroom, all but one. Malfoy sat arms crossed in the last desk next to Blaise Zabini wordlessly eying nothing in particular. The room quieted down as the back door open and closed loudly behind the man. He was lean, tall, with black hair and black eyes. He was young, Hermione noted as he walked swiftly to the front of the class, somewhere in his early twenties at the most. Yet as young as he looked he seemed to hold an air of respect about him.

"Good morning, I'm Professor James E. Sypker," he said reaching the desk, not even bothering to look at them as he said this. He turned to them with dramatic effect as Hermione held her quill ready take notes.

"You," he said pointing at Hermione, "Miss…"

"Hermione Granger, sir," she replied.

"Miss Granger, stand," he instructed.

Confused she put down her quill and rose to her feet.

"Den…" He began pointing his wand at her. A shield blocked him before he could even finish the spell.

"Good job, Miss Granger, nonverbal as well, you may sit," he said waving his hand dismissively.

"You, you tried to hex her," Ron said in disbelief.

"Exactly, tried, Miss Granger is capable of catching on," he returned.

Dean Thomas raised his hand.

"Yes, you, stand Mister…" he said pointing at Dean.

"Dean, Dean Thomas, sir. Why did you do that?"

"Did I have your attention before I did that?" Professor Sypker inquired.

"Uh, not really, no," Dean said embarrassed.

"Do I have your attention now?" he inquired.

"Yes," Dean said.

"That should answer your question," Professor Sypker said waving his hand for him to sit back down, turning to the board. "You see, past teachers have probably taught you T.E.P. which stands for Theory Example Practice strategy of teaching defensive skills, but as you are graduating this year I think it would be best to move on to E.P.A. Example Practice Action we will cover theory briefly in homework but work more on how to do the spell and putting it in action. Yes, Miss Granger."

"So basically dueling?" Hermione said frowning.

"Precisely," Professor Sypker replied as Hermione sat down before flicking his wand lazily erasing T.E.P. and E.P.A. from the board. "…Now for review who wants to go first?"

The room was silent.

"Very well, Miss Granger and … you sir." Professor Sypker replied unaffected.

"Blaise, Blaise Zabini, sir." He said rising to his feet as Hermione rose to hers. The desks shot across the room stacked neatly. He motioned for the rest of the students to stand back.

"Basic rules, no unforgivables, I want mostly defensive spells, the object is not to harm your opponent but to disarm them are we clear?" Professor Sypker instructed.

They nodded yes, waited till the count of three and begun-red sparks flew and bounced off Hermione's nonverbal shield. Professor Sypker watched as the two dueled nonverbally for fifteen minutes before Blaise Zabini's wand flew into Hermione's hand.

"Bravo, excellent, oh yes, quite excellent," he said applauding them.

Hermione handed Blaise his wand breathing heavily, "Good job," she said softly.

His eyes were dark his breath heavy but he returned "you too," quietly nonetheless.

Dean and Theodore Nott were up next, Nott managed to win just as the bell rang.

The desks flew back to their places, and student's scrambled to get their things.

"Good job! Read the first two chapters and be ready for a challenge next lesson!" he said projecting his voice so everyone would hear his announcement before they scrambled out the door. Draco Malfoy had been in the very back of the classroom the whole time watching nonchalantly. He swung his messenger bag, designer no doubt, over his shoulder and left swiftly after the mad rush of students.


End file.
